Norfolk Southern Veterans and Their Families Share Their Stories
Norfolk Southern veterans and their families were asked to share their memories about serving in the armed forces and their thoughts about Veterans Day. These are their stories.
Employee Stories
Joe Abrams
Train and engine trainee
Altoona, Pa.
As a former second class petty officer in the U.S. Navy, I would like to take time out to remind people to thank the ones that keep, and have kept, this nation free. It seems like when things are not going exactly how people want them to, they turn and look for blame. I've been there and know what it’s like. Trust me, a simple “good job boys!” can be the difference between a military member keeping his mind on the task at hand or sometimes doubting why he or she is even there. So to all veterans,�no matter what war you have fought in or will fight in, all honor and respect is due. Thank you for�keeping this nation a free one. God bless America.
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Jim Barrett
Clerk CYO-Illinois Division
Atlanta
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Heath Barrett is my son and is in the U.S. Army. He is a CH-47 (Chinook) pilot for the ground support aviation battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division located at Fort Bragg, N.C. Heath conducts air assault operations, parachute drops and air movement operations.� He will be heading to Afghanistan to join the fight in Operation Enduring Freedom in January.
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Michael A Cooper
Locomotive Engineer
I was called to active duty in June 2004, and served in Iraq until Dec. 15, 2005. I was a gun truck commander, escorting civilian fuel tankers across Iraq. I received the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge for engaging the enemy a various times throughout the deployment.
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Vickey L. Davidson
Customer service operations supervisor
Atlanta
On June 27, 2006, I lost my father at age 84, but all Americans lost an outstanding honored veteran, as all veterans are. Chief Master Sergeant Joe B. Davidson retired with 30 years service in the U.S. Air Force.�He also was a retired federal government employee.�He served his country willingly, proudly and honorably.
My father served in World War II, Korea War and Vietnam.�We were stationed at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., Turkey, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
When my father went to Vietnam, my mother, sister and I moved off base.�I was out of school and working, and was petrified to live off base.�As time went by, we adjusted. My father came back from Vietnam and retired at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.�
I am a true military brat and so very proud of it. I was very lucky and fortunate to have grown up in a military family.�We had it all.
On Sept. 11, 2001, my family lost my sister Joe Ann Davidson, at Clarksville, Tenn.�She was a registered nurse, and worked for the federal government for 30 years.�She worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Malcolm Grow Military Hospital, Andrews Air Force Base, all in the Washington, D.C. area. At the time of her illness she was working at Blanchfield Army Hospital, Fort Campbell, Ky., as a case manager working with our military men and women who had been diagnosed with cancer.�During her entire nursing career, she worked with our military and their families. She received several awards during her career, two from the U.S. Surgeon General.�She too, was very dedicated to our military.�She was taken from us at 4:45 a.m., the morning of 9/11/01.
Bless our military and their families!
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Anthony M. Ditzler
Terminal Trainmaster
Lancaster Yard
Lancaster, Pa.
I was serving in the Marine Corps 3rd Marine Air wing, VMA-225 in Vietnam in February 1971 when, while sleeping, a dud rocket landed approximately one foot from my head and it didn’t go off. I knew from that time on I was living a very charmed life.� One never knows how fast you can lose it all.�
Every Veterans Day I know how close I came to becoming one of the names listed on The Vietnam War Memorial. I was given a second chance. Most people never get that chance, and I will forever be grateful for that. One always hears that when you are saved like that you have a greater purpose to fulfill in your life. I still have not done anything profound as of yet, and I hope it is still there to complete in the future. I don’t want to waste the opportunity I was given.
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Brandon D. Fambro
NS Customer Service Center
Atlanta
I am currently deployed to LSA Anaconda (Camp Anaconda) in Balad, Iraq.� LSA Anaconda is often referred to as Mortarville, because the base receives incoming mortars regularly from insurgents. I am a staff sergeant currently working as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Army Reserve Affairs office. Our officer in charge is a lieutenant colonel and there are two other staff sergeants.
We are responsible for assisting all Army Reserve/National Guard soldiers in Iraq/Kuwait/Afghanistan with re-enlistments, pay issues, DD 214 corrections, amendment of orders, promotions, self-help courses, orders, pre-retirement questions and a host of other issues. The job also entails visiting other parts of Iraq, including Baghdad and other forward operation bases. We conduct in-briefs and out-briefs for Army Reserve/National Guard units arriving and departing theater to advise them who we are and what services we offer.�
Prior to joining the team in the Army Reserve Affairs office, I was with the 400th QM Company and worked as the NCOIC of the receiving section of the forward redistribution point from September 2005 to April 2006. I supervised the processing of various items received throughout Iraq. These items were processed and redistributed to different units as they were needed. From May 2006 until August 2006, I was a part of the 3rd COSCOM retrograde team. The mission of the team was to visit FOBs in northern Iraq that were scheduled to close and make recommendations on how to redistribute the excess supplies.
I previously was mobilized in January 2002, a month after purchasing my first new home, and eleven months after beginning my employment with Norfolk Southern. During my first mobilization, my duty location was in Qatar, where I worked as the NCOIC of the dining facility warehouse. My platoons’ additional duty was to assist the battalion with port missions where we transported military equipment (tanks, HUMMVWs, and other military vehicles) to the port of Qatar where it was loaded onto ships and sent to Kuwait. The equipment was ultimately used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I remain sane by talking to my wife, Rochelle, and kids, Abriahna and Brandon II on a regular basis via phone or e-mail. They constantly send me pictures via e-mail so I can see their growth and progress. I also talk to my other family members, friends, and members of the NS family via e-mail or phone or a regular basis as well. On LSA Anaconda, we have several gyms so I work out often and do a lot of reading. My deployment will end August/September 2007, and I will spend a few months getting reacquainted with my family, rest, and return to work at NS in Atlanta.
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Tim Gasper
Signal tester
Muncie, Ind.
I served in the Army for 13 years prior to working for Norfolk Southern. At this time of year, I think about all the people I have met at the different military bases around the world.
I have spent Thanksgiving and Christmas away from my family and loved ones on many different occasions. I have seen the sun come up on Christmas morning in the desert in Egypt while sitting in my foxhole, thinking about my family opening their presents and eating Christmas dinner, while I ate a cold can of pork and beans. When I was stationed in Germany, I was given the opportunity to spend Christmas with a German family and observe their customs.
The one Thanksgiving I remember the most is when my Mom and Dad came to visit me, my wife and daughter. They arrived a few days before the holiday and met all of our friends. Being a PFC in the Army you didn’t have a whole lot of money. My Dad told me to invite all of my buddies and their families for Thanksgiving dinner. Then we proceeded to shop for everything. I can’t ever remember my family having such a big dinner, but my Mom and Dad said they wanted everybody to be with a family on this day. Everyone brought their favorite dish, and we had a meal fit for a king. It was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had. To this day, I get calls from some of the families that were there that day and we reminisce about it.
So on this Thanksgiving, say a little prayer and give thanks to the service members who are away from their families for all that they’re doing to keep us safe and allowing us to enjoy our families.
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Randy Hale
Train dispatcher
Bluefield, W.V.��
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I served in the U. S. Navy for nine years between 1986 and 1995. Most of my time was spent in the Norfolk area as an Air Traffic Controller.
I am very proud of the time I spent in service to my country. I learned many things in the military and had a wide variety of experiences that would never have happened, if it were not for the military. I was also able to accumulate many items which conjure up past memories. Things like old uniforms, foreign money and pictures. They all remind me of people, places and events that took place in this country, as well as others countries.
While looking at old uniforms and other memorabilia, my thoughts often return to some of the naval traditions. They are as everyday as saluting an officer and always wearing a hat outdoors while in uniform, to those that are more specific to U. S. Navy. It is from one particular tradition that I have one of best memories of the military.
The tradition is called “manning the rails”. Whenever a naval vessel enters or departs a port, some of the sailors don their dress uniforms and assemble on the outer decks of the ship. They line the entire outer edge of the ship. At different intervals, they are called to attention or parade rest. It is a tribute or salute to the port the ship is entering or leaving. Of course, when a ship is leaving its home port it is a sad time. In contrast, there is no happier occasion than when one is coming home.
In the summer of 1993, I was stationed with Tactical Air Control Squadron 21 aboard USS Wasp. Wasp is basically a helicopter carrier. It deploys with a nominal crew of sailors and picks up a large number of Marines in Moorehead City, N.C. So, this also is the last port prior to returning to Norfolk. The sight I witnessed that day will stick with me forever.
Some friends and I were dressed in our uniforms and up on the flight deck to man the rails. All the usual talk of what we were all looking forward to doing once we back at home was taking center stage. Seeing our friends and families, taking a hot bath (only showers on the ship), and eating a good meal were being discussed. We then heard the call to attention over the ships loud speaker which was followed a few minutes later by the call to parade rest. We could see the narrowing of the channel we were entering. It looked close enough to jump off and make a run for it.
Then, we began to hear whispers of something. Some even began pointing to approaching coastline. At first, all I saw was the very top of an American flag waving in the wind. Then, as we came closer to the entry, I saw it was being carried by two small boys. They were maybe 10 to 12 years old and running up and back on a small piece of beach caring a flag that looked bigger than they were. They were waving and holding onto that flag. It was truly a sight to behold. Although we were not supposed to, everyone on that flight deck began to clap and cheer for those two young boys. That moment took over as talk of the day until we arrived back in Norfolk.
It is a story I tell today to anyone who is willing to listen. It is forever ingrained in my memory. I often wish I had taken a camera with me to the flight deck that day, it would have made a fantastic picture.�
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Harvey L. Hereford
Operations supervisor trainee transportation
Harrisburg, Pa.
I am a recent (March 2006) 21-year U.S. Air Force retiree and currently am in Norfolk Southern’s Operations Supervisor Trainee program.
One of the most cherished and proudest fraternal memberships I hold is membership to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Post 4809.
My military career included five separate deployments to the Middle East, including Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, relocations to three different countries and to four states within the U.S. The pride I feel in these accomplishments is surpassed only by what I feel in seeing the type of young men my sons Marcus, 17, and Derrick, 12, have become.
The transition from the military to corporate America has been challenging but very fulfilling. The respect I have been shown by co-workers when talking about or referring to my military service has been both appreciated and very unexpected. This, for me, is a testament to their respect and pride for this country and the veterans who have served it.
NS’ commitment to safety of operations directly emulates that of the U.S. military; and in my humble opinion, the parallel between serving this great nation in either capacity is honorable.
We are still a nation at war; a war that for the third time in history has been brought to our shores; and we will prevail. God Bless America!�
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L.R. Lair Jr.
Conductor
Conway, Pa.
The day we caught the enemy by surprise, I was serving in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the American Division in Vietnam. It was October 1969, and our company was flown by helicopter deep into the jungle at the base of some big mountains where we were look for a North Vietnamese Army hospital that was suspected to be in the mountains.
The next day, my squad was walking point along the river. We smelled campfire smoke that was drifting down a creek that flowed into the river. We were very from civilization and knew it had to be the enemy. Our first two squads were ordered to drop our rucksacks and go check out the smoke.
The smoke was strong, so we knew the North Vietnamese were not far away. We went about 100 yards up the creek came around a bend and saw more than 40 enemy soldiers not more than 50 yards away from us. Some were cooking over their fires. Some were lying in hammocks strung between the trees along the creek.
Eight of us lined up side-by-side and opened fire, killing nine and seriously wounding six of the enemy soldiers. We caught them by such surprise that only a few were able to fire back before they ran up the creek and into the jungle.
It wasn’t very often that we surprised the enemy that way. I guess they had never seen American soldiers or expected to see us on that day.
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Wilbert M. Leutner
Retired valuation accountant
Olmsted Falls, Ohio
I am retired from the Nickel Plate Railroad with 45 years of service and am 95 years old. I served in the U.S. Navy World War II�and taught accounting at the Naval Air Station n Jacksonville, Fla. It was a great experience, even having to weather two hurricanes while there.
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Cindy Martin
Developer IT
Roanoke
My dad died May 12, 2006. He would not consider himself a hero, but my dad will always be a hero to me. He served in World War II, and his experiences while serving rival anything I’ve seen in movies.
He volunteered and went in as a private. After boot camp he was put on a troop ship that was carrying 10,000 soldiers and USO volunteers to England. Somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic the captain came over the speaker system to announce that the ship had been caught in a German submarine trap and there was nothing they could do. He then had the chaplain perform a mass funeral service for everyone on board. All that was left was to wait for the explosions that would send them to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. I suspect my dad wasn’t the only one on board who was praying, but I know that he was. They waited all day; they went to bed and waited all night. They got up the next morning and as they looked on the horizon they saw smoke billowing from another ship. It was an American oil tanker. The German sub had hit it instead of the troop ship. The troop ship continued to England where they were received with much surprise and excitement. The command in England had been notified that the ship had been destroyed at sea.
Later, my dad received a field commission to first lieutenant when his lieutenant lay mortally wounded and handed him his cap, indicating that he was in charge and should lead the troops. Finally, the company my dad was in had been given direction to advance, and they had progressed farther than those behind realized. They were in a valley and found that they were being fired on from both sides – from one side by the Germans, and from the other side by their own guys. My dad and one other guy were the only ones who made it out of that valley. When they got to the top they decided their chances were better if they split up. He never knew if the other guy made it or not. He kept running until someone grabbed him. He thought he had been captured until he looked up and saw the shiny buttons. That let him know he was safe.
My dad was a hero. He lived through unspeakable horror and it impacted his life until the day he died, but he never complained, never became bitter – never even spoke of what happened to him until just a few years before his death. He was a true patriot and the kind of person who reflects what Veteran’s Day is all about.
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Sharlene Crickett May
Yard clerk
Knoxville, Tenn.
I served 13 years in the U.S. Navy and was one of the first 35 women to serve on an ammunition ship during Operation Desert Storm. I was with a detachment from San Diego, Calif., and we had two H-46 helicopters onboard the USS Shasta. We transported bombs from ship to ship everyday 24/7 for seven months nonstop. I was able to travel and see most of the world via the Navy. I now have friends from all over the world. My sea stories are sort of like the railroad stories I hear at work, full of adventure. I have flown in training jets, landed on a carrier, lowered via cable from an H-46 to the decks of ships and even put in a little “stick time” on the training jets and P-3 aircraft. My time in the Navy was very special and the lessons I learned will be with me for the rest of my life.
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Shaun McDermott
Maintenance of Way & Structures
Pittsburgh
Division
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I have worked for the railroad for 31 years performing various duties from trackman to mechanic�to machine operator. The railroad has given me the opportunity to learn to operate machines�that repair�tracks to what I do now, which is running heavy equipment to rehabilitate�existing roads around the tracks.
Our son Adam is a sergeant in the U.S. Army in the 10th Mountain Division. He operates heavy equipment as well. While deployed in Afghanistan, he ran a machine called an Aardvark that flailed the�ground searching for land mines. He is currently deployed to Iraq, operates a bulldozer and is enthusiastic about being a part of the reconstruction effort for the country of Iraq.�
My opportunity to work for the railroad and Adam's for the Army has given us a common ground to explore and share with�one another.�
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Matthew McGinnis
Management trainee Transportation
Dearborn, Mich.
I served in the South Carolina Air National Guard for six years joining when I was 17 years old. I felt like I needed to find some direction in my life, and the military gave me the opportunity to find a skill. I became an Electronic Warfare Technician and got the chance to learn a lot about electronic systems and radar.
In my career, I was Airman of the Year for the Maintenance Squadron, due in part to my role in Operation Enduring Freedom. When I left the Guard, I was an E-5/Staff Sgt. I enjoyed my time with the military. It gave me many tools to use in life.
The one thing that stays dear to me is my family’s service. My grandfather served in the Guard for 36 years and had a great deal to with my choice of joining it. He held the highest enlisted rank in the Guard when he retired and was admired and loved by the many individuals who worked with him.
His brother was also a pilot with the South Carolina Air National Guard, and gave his life for his service. McEntire A.N.G was named after him.
I admire every individual who serves this country. I take Veterans Day very seriously. There are many individuals who gave much more than I could ever imagine. These are the individuals that are on the front line now and in the past. I could never say thank you enough to past and present veterans. For those who served I give thank you from the bottom of my heart, for I only served a short time overseas and it was a trying time for me. You are the heart of this country and it is to you who serve that we are able to enjoy our freedom.
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Kathy Miles
Illinois Division office manager
Decatur, Ill.
My sister, Jean Shinbur, retired from the Army National Guard as a Brigadier General in 2003 and we are extremely proud of her accomplishments.�I remember the phone call I got from her when she was in college announcing that she was joining the Army National Guard.�This was in the very early 1970s when women were just being allowed to join.�I know she was expecting me to cheer her on, but it was such a new concept that I didn’t really know how to react at the time.�Today, I swell with pride when I have the opportunity to tell someone about Jeannie, her accomplishments and her decision to serve our country in this way.
In addition to her service in the Army National Guard, Jeannie serves as Deputy for Business Operations for the United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., where she is responsible for providing acquisition and business solutions and services supporting America’s soldiers.
Her husband, Fred Shinbur, a retired Chief Warrant Officer Five, who served more than 35 years in the U.S. Army.
Everyone in this country needs to remember and be grateful for our servicemen who have made the decision to serve this country – to preserve our ability to be the free nation that we are.
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Peter S. Morgan Jr.
Unit Train Coordinator
Atlanta
A perspective of Veterans Day is determined by the vantage point.�Men and women in the military (and their families) make a significant contribution of their lives.�What is demanded of the armed forces can bring honor or shame.�My grandfather and father served in the Army during World War One and World War Two, both proud of their service.
For me it was a different time … very much like today.�In 1969, it was a conflict in Vietnam I didn’t approve of, but conscription was taking young men without deferment to support the cause.�My enlistment for four years in the Coast Guard was intended to offer humanitarian aid rather than dispersing Agent Orange and landmines which remain threats in a foreign country more than three decades later.
The Coast Guard, as alternative military service, is not without risks.�Seven former members of the Coast Guard are listed on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.� During my ten weeks of basic training in Cape May, N.J., three young men died in separate incidents, one fellow less than a week off the bus from home. They were Richard Joseph Theriaque Jr., enlisted 24 February 69 - died 22 March 69; Randall Cecil Grey Mattson, enlisted 31 March 69 - died 5 April 69; and Roger Martin Hudson, enlisted 21 March 69 - died 8 April 69.
These young men’s sacrifices are no less significant to their families, but were not valued by our nation.�They are not among the honored in D.C., though I do post their names when I visit the war memorial.
Following boot camp I worked in a general seaman category and obtained the clerical classification of Yeoman through on-the-job training; promoted to the rank of second class petty officer before my honorable discharge in 1973.
During my tour I worked state side to provide aids to ocean navigation by LORAN (electronic beacons), sailed in search and rescue deployment in the North Atlantic (aboard the 210’ USCGC Vigilant) and participated in the process of documenting and licensing Merchant Marine seamen and officers with the Captain of the Port.�
Currently, as a member of Veterans for Peace, I advocate counseling alternative career choices for young men and women.���������
